Network Rail announces £90m upgrades on line between London and Reading

Network Rail has awarded contracts worth £90million in a bid to improve signalling and upgrade power supplies on the line between London and Reading.

The firm has said the work forms a crucial part of the preparation ahead of the arrival of Crossrail.

A £79m contract has been given to Alstom to complete the final stage of the full re-signalling of the Great Western Main Line between Reading and Paddington

The contract covers the design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a state-of-the-art train control system.

An £11m contract has been awarded to Amey for signalling power works between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington, which includes a system to counteract power failures, aimed at reducing train delays.

Matthew Steele, Crossrail programme director at Network Rail, said: “This is a vital step in the delivery of a bigger, better, more reliable railway for London and the South East.

“By ensuring the new trains can run seamlessly amongst existing rail services and by building in resilience at the outset, we increase the capacity and reliability of the railway meaning that passengers benefit from quicker and easier journeys they can depend upon.”

Crossrail will be known as the Elizabeth line from December 2018 when services start running through central London. The full route will open in 2019.

Outside entrance to Wexham Park Hospital, Slough The first of three demonstrations will be held against Frimley NHS Trust plans to create a wholly owned subsidiary for some its staff. Unions claim the move would represent a privatisation of the NHS.